


[add new contact]

by orphan_account



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Fire, First Kiss, M/M, Phone Calls & Telephones, duck is bad at lying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-12
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-09-16 17:40:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16958556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: after the events of the latest hunt, duck finds himself in contact with indrid a lot more.





	[add new contact]

**Author's Note:**

> listen. i know this is bad. im aware. but my last final is tomorrow and i need a win. also tw for a place being on fire but no one gets hurt.

### I

Duck held the red glasses in his hands, being careful not to smudge the lenses. He set them down carefully on his desk. If Ned or Aubrey found out Duck had them, he would never get them back to Indrid. He eyed the phone next to the stack of rental permits he should be reviewing.

 

As if it could sense his attention, it started to ring. Duck picked it up.

 

“Hello?” Duck said.

 

“Hi Duck. I believe you have my glasses?” Indrid replied.

 

“Heh, yeah. I was just gonna--oh, I see,” Duck said, “So wait, you’re just Mothman-ing around now?”

 

“Well, I have a secondary charm, for emergencies like this. But it’s, well, flaky. I’m still… fuzzy,” Indrid said. Duck’s imagination conjured up a helpful image of Indrid with black fur.

 

“Are you still at the campground?” Duck asked.

 

“Yes,” Indrid said, “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

 

The line clicked off. Well, there was Duck’s answer. He picked up the glasses and walked out to his truck.

 

When Duck got there, Indrid opened the door before he could knock. Duck was still awestruck by Indrid’s Sylf form, though it seemed to be somewhat contained. Indrid was his human height, and he had human-passing features, but he was still distinctly moth-like. His arms, chest, and face were covered in feathery black tufts. His wings were combined from two separate sets into one set of feathered bat wings.

 

“I’ll take these,” Indrid said. He reached for the glasses in Duck’s hand.

 

“Right, sorry,” Duck said. He relinquished his grasp on the spectacles.

 

Indrid slid a bracelet off his skinny wrist. He started to transform into his full form, but pushed the glasses on before he broke the doorway. Then he was Indrid again, tall and gaunt and (if Duck was being honest) greasy.

 

“Thank you,” Indrid said, “I appreciate you not turning them in for whatever prize you get for theft.”

 

“Of course. And, to be honest, I think it’s better for all of us if you can have your disguise,” Duck said.

 

“Yes, being nine feet tall and terrifying tends to draw attention,” Indrid said.

 

“I mean, terrifying might not be the right word. Intimidating, for sure, but--uh, like, I’m not scared of--of you,” Duck said.

 

“You’re so trusting,” Indrid said suddenly, “I suppose that’s good for me. And for the people you saved.”

 

“What?” Duck frowned.

 

“Well, you didn’t even know who I was when I told you about the shop. For all you knew, I could have been threatening you, or lying,” Indrid explained.

 

“That wasn’t trust. I mean no offense, but--”

 

“Of course. I didn’t think you trusted me then. But you continued to listen to me, which _was_ very trusting of you. And I’m not even the first extraterrestrial being you’ve listened to on first contact. I know you have spoken to Minerva, whoever that is, quite frequently these past few months,” Indrid said.

 

“Well, that’s different though. She showed up like a weird hologram and gave me a talking sword. It’s hard to doubt that,” Duck said.

 

“You walked into Sylvane and didn’t freak out. You joined the Pine Guard. And, as I said, you came to see me,” Indrid said, “It is good to have an open mind, Duck. This was an observation, not criticism.”

 

“I guess you’re right,” Duck shrugged, “I just thought I was doing the right thing.”

 

“You _trusted_ you were doing the right thing,” Indrid corrected.

 

“Well now you’re just replacing verbs with ‘trust,’ that’s not how it works,” Duck said. Indrid laughed, and Duck smiled too. There was a beat of quiet.

 

“Oh, I’ve been meaning to thank you for rescuing me, by the way,” Indrid said.

 

“Call it even,” Duck said, “Things would've gotten real bad if you hadn’t warned us about all the other stuff.”

 

“I can live with that,” Indrid said.

 

Duck stood awkwardly on the steps of Indrid’s camper. Indrid seemed to be distracted, staring into the middle distance. Duck didn’t know what he was supposed to do. Should he go? He should probably go.

 

“See you later,” Indrid broke the silence.

 

“Bye,” Duck said, startled. He stepped down and Indrid shut the door.

 

Even though Indrid claimed he wasn’t a mind reader, he knew a lot about Duck. Maybe it was, as Indrid has explained, that he “basically knows everything as soon as it happens.” Duck shrugged it off and started walking back to his ranger station.

 

### II

Duck heard the phone ring. He guessed who it was as he held the receiver up to his ear.

 

“Where am I going now?” Duck asked.

 

“Oh, no, there’s nothing wrong right now. At least, catastrophically so,” Indrid replied, “I think some people may be breaking up over email right now, but that’s a different kind of tragedy,”

 

“So, uh, what’s up?” Duck frowned.

 

“What, I can’t say hello to a friend?” Indrid said. Duck heard what sounded like an office chair rolling across the floor, and some voices in the background.

 

“Where are you right now?” Duck asked.

 

“I’m at the Cryptonomica! Ned said that I could help set up for the Saturday Night Dead shooting tonight,” Indrid replied.

 

“Right. So, then, what’s this about?” Duck said. He didn’t necessarily not want to talk to Indrid, but he wasn’t trying to stay on the phone for no reason. His department’s phone bill was already going to be higher than usual.

 

“Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to come down tonight? We’re watching the Krampus movies, as I know you know,” Indrid offered.

 

“Uh, sure. I mean, I’m still at work, so I gotta… gotta finish my shift here, but sure, I’ll drive over and… and hang out, I guess,” Duck said.

 

“Excellent!” And Indrid hung up.

 

Duck set the phone down on its stand. He didn’t really understand why Indrid was inviting him to the filming. He had to know Duck would be there anyway, right? Whatever. Indrid was clearly trying to be nice, and Duck appreciated that.

 

So, about an hour later, Duck pulled into the small parking lot of the Cryptonomica. He wasn’t surprised when Indrid walked out the door right as he pulled up. Duck got out of his car and walked up to Indrid.

 

“Duck! You made it,” Indrid said.

 

“You knew I would, though, didn't you?” Duck replied.

 

“Yeah, I did,” Indrid admitted. Duck laughed sheepishly. “Come on, let’s go inside.”

 

Duck followed Indrid into the Cryptonomica. The whole place was decked out in holiday decorations, fake snow, and candles. Perhaps an unsafe amount of candles. Duck tried to ignore it and sat down next to Indrid on a sofa in the break room. There was a big boxy CRT television on an old wooden stand against the opposite wall.

 

“I must admit, I haven’t watched a movie in a long time,” Indrid said.

 

“Too predictable?” Duck guessed.

 

“Well, I think anyone with a brain could guess what happens in a horror movie,” Indrid laughed. It was a sharp, airy sound. Duck tried not to think too hard about it.

 

“Right. Have you actually seen these ones before?” Duck asked.

 

“I haven’t,” Indrid said, “Though I think I have a good grasp on what they’re about.”

 

“Yeah, it’s pretty straightforward,” Duck nodded.

 

Aubrey walked into the room carrying several packages of microwave popcorn. “Oh, hey, Duck.”

 

“Hey Aubrey. You gonna do more magic today?” Duck asked.

 

“You know it,” Aubrey said.

 

“Don’t use the flash paper,” Indrid said. Aubrey frowned. “It’s too damp to work.”

 

“Right. Thanks for the warning,” Aubrey said. She pulled a thin stack of paper out of her sleeve.

 

“Is this why Ned asked you to help? To prevent anything going wrong?” Duck asked.

 

“Well, he also is going to ask me to stand in the background as Mothman, but I will not do that,” Indrid said.

 

“Yeah, I figured,” Duck nodded.

 

“Alright everyone, we’re on in five! Places!” Ned called out.

 

Duck wasn’t exactly sure what his place was supposed to be. He didn’t have to go on until intermission, so he just stayed seated next to Indrid. Indrid was sitting with his knees up to his chest with his ankles crossed. He seemed to be looking at the blank television, but Duck couldn’t see his eyes. The decorative lights and candle flames reflected in Indrid’s red glasses.

 

The show started. Duck half-listened as Ned did his whole spiel in the museum. Once the camera stopped rolling, the smell of popcorn wafted into the room. Aubrey walked in with a huge bowl of the stuff and curled up in the armchair by the television. Barclay was right behind her, carrying a stack of blankets. He set the stack down on the coffee table and sat on the loveseat against the wall. Kirby was in the other room with Ryan Gosling-Billy, as he had been told that the movie wasn't appropriate for Billy. Ned was the last one to join them in the makeshift movie theater, flopping gracefully down next to Barclay.

 

“So, who’s ready?” Ned said.

 

There was a general murmur of agreement and the marathon was started.

 

About halfway through the first movie, Duck had grabbed a blanket off the coffee table. It was a huge knit throw made of soft blue yarn that more than covered his cold legs. About three-quarters into the movie, Duck noticed that Indrid had stolen a corner of blanket and was attempting to cram his entire lanky 6’ 3” frame under it.

 

“Here,” Duck whispered. He pulled the blanket to the side so it was draped over Indrid’s arms.

 

“Thanks,” Indrid smiled. He nestled into the blanket. Duck had to admit that the image of Indrid curled up with just his big glasses peering out was… cute.

 

It wasn't until the first movie ended that Duck realized that Indrid was pressed against his side. Indrid wasn’t completely cold, but he was definitely cooler than the blanket. Duck held as still as possible.

 

“It’s alright, Duck. You’re going to want to get up before the next movie starts,” Indrid said.

 

“Now, you’re saying that, and it makes me think you’re gonna steal the whole blanket,” Duck said.

 

“It’s a possibility,” Indrid said.

 

“Well, I think you need it more than I do,” Duck said. He piled the blanket onto Indrid and got up to join the line for the bathroom.

 

### III

Duck caught the telltale scent of smoke. He froze, which made Aubrey run into him. They were looking into some leads on a possible abomination. It would be way off-schedule, but they had to be on their toes. The investigation had taken them to the forest, as usual, about a hundred yards or so from Eastwood Campground.

 

“What?” Aubrey hissed.

 

“Something’s on fire. We gotta go,” Duck said. He took off in the direction of the campground.

 

Ned called after him, “Are you sure--”

 

The rest of the words were drowned out by snow and twigs crunching. Running came easily to Duck as he plowed through the brush. The crackling of flames grew louder as he approached. It wasn’t a long trek, but Duck had enough time to get anxious about it. In less than two minutes, he reached the trailer parking lot and slowed to a stop.

 

Indrid’s Winnebago was going up in flames.

 

“Duck, wait--” Aubrey called out.

 

Duck was already gone. He had to get Indrid out of there, even though he wasn’t sure how he knew Indrid was in there in the first place. He sprinted around to the front of the camper. The door was still shut. Duck kicked it open and went in, pulling his jacket up to his eyes.

 

The heat was unbearable. Duck had felt it from outside, but inside was so much worse. He squinted through the smoke that had built up. He spotted Indrid asleep, sprawled out on the pull-out sofa.

 

“Indrid!” Duck shouted. Indrid shifted, but didn’t wake up.

 

Duck huffed and scooped up Indrid, tossing him over his shoulder. He moved quickly back toward the door. On his way through, Duck tripped on the doorframe and went flying down the stairs. He managed to pull Indrid to his chest and twist so his shoulder took the impact. His natural toughness softened the blow.

 

“Duck…” Indrid said, voice crackly with sleep. He didn’t seem to notice his position on top of Duck.

 

“Indrid! What the fuck! Your trailer was on fire! Can you not see the future or whatever in your sleep?” Duck exclaimed. He, unlike Indrid, was extremely aware of their entanglement, and it was only making things harder.

 

“I knew that you would be there,” Indrid said.

 

“You didn’t, though,” Duck protested, “You counted on me being there.”

 

“And you are. I don’t see the problem,” Indrid said.

 

“Problem? There’s a huge fire in the middle of the forest that’s coming from your trailer. You could have died. That sound like a problem or two to me,” Duck said.

 

“Of course, Duck, I--I’m sorry. Thank you for saving me. Seems like you’ve done that a lot lately,” Indrid said, shivering.

 

Indrid was just wearing a tank top and sweatpants. Duck started to sit up, but Indrid just stayed in his lap. Duck unzipped his jacket and tried to wrap Indrid in it. It wasn’t quite big enough for both of them.

 

Duck sighed. “Listen, I’m not--okay, I’m a little bit mad, but I’m not mad at you. It’s just--”

 

“Short term adrenaline rush with a hard crash, followed by the first few stages of grief, especially anger. Present in survivors of catastrophes and the rescue teams involved,” Indrid nodded. He pressed himself against Duck’s chest, seeking more warmth. Somehow, despite almost catching fire, Indrid’s skin was cold against Duck’s arms.

 

“Are you okay?” Duck asked.

 

“Yes, Duck, I’m fine,” Indrid smiled.

 

Fire truck sirens blared from somewhere behind them.

 

“Shit, we gotta go,” Duck said.

 

“Yes, you’re a terrible liar,” Indrid said.

 

“Come on,” Duck said.

 

Indrid peeled himself off of Duck and got up. Duck stood up too and they hurried into the forest. Waiting there, looking anxious and surprised respectively, were Aubrey and Ned.

 

“So what happened?” Ned asked, “I called the fire department, by the way.”

 

“Thanks,” Duck said.

 

“Well, I was asleep, and my trailer was on fire, and then Duck rescued me! It was very heroic of him,” Indrid explained.

 

“But wait, didn’t you know that the space heaters would break?” Aubrey asked. Everyone looked at her. “What? I know fire. That was an electrical fire. Indrid had four space heaters in the same power strip, it was gonna go bad at some point.”

 

“That is what happened,” Indrid confirmed.

 

“So why didn’t you leave on your own?” Ned asked.

 

“Well, you weren’t doing anything worthwhile anyway. Your lead was a dead end, and I was tired,” Indrid said.

 

Aubrey still looked skeptical. “But you--”

 

“Hey, listen, Indrid, it’s late, we should see about getting you a place to stay for the night,” Duck said. He tried to signal Aubrey to drop it. “The lodge is probably gonna be the best place, right?”

 

“Yes,” Indrid agreed.

 

“Great. Ned?” Duck replied.

 

“This way, back to the car, everyone!” Ned announced.

 

### IV

About a week after the trailer disaster, Duck’s phone rang.

 

Duck heard the tinny sound from his bed. He was lying there, not tired anymore, after a nasty set of dreams that he hoped weren’t visions. There wasn’t any reason for him to stay in bed, so he got up and went into the kitchen. He picked up the phone on its last ring.

 

“Indrid?” Duck rasped. He cleared his throat and tried again. “What’s up?”

 

“It’s very loud here,” Indrid said idly.

 

“At the lodge?” Duck frowned, “It’s two in the morning, man. I’ve never seen the folks up there awake past ten, ‘cept for Mama and Barclay.”

 

“Not physically loud. Future loud. More people, more prophecies, et cetera,” Indrid said.

 

“Huh. I mean, I don’t really know how to help you there, I’m kinda dealing with my own maybe-visions right now,” Duck said.

 

“What did you see?” Indrid asked curiously.

 

“Eh, I don’t really know. Some kinda spider-thing, maybe? And then I was under this huge waterfall. It coulda just been a dream,” Duck said.

 

“Interesting. I’ve seen some things regarding waterfalls too, but nothing big,” Indrid said.

 

“Right,” Duck said.

 

“I think I’m going to move back to the campground soon,” Indrid changed the subject.

 

Duck sighed. “I feel like as a forest ranger I should discourage you from doing that, especially considering you didn’t have a permit, but this is a special case. How’re you even--”

 

“Insurance scams are very easy, especially for someone as elusive as myself,” Indrid answered.

 

“Wow, guess I’ve made friends with a bunch of criminals, huh,” Duck laughed.

 

“Even you, an officer of tree law, have done some less than legal things in your time,” Indrid said.

 

“Now what exactly do you think tree law is?” Duck snickered.

 

“Oh, you know. Don’t set things on fire seems to be rule number one, which seems reasonable. Don’t stab the trees, don’t get into fistfights with the mountain lions, don’t shoot guns at any unnaturally large owls. And I’m assuming you’ve had to settle some root disputes as well,” Indrid said. Duck could hear his clever smile over the phone.

 

“Yeah, I’m up to my neck in root disputes,” Duck grinned, “Pine trees are nasty about their territory.”

 

“I would imagine so,” Indrid said.

 

Silence set in for a moment. There was almost no sound in Duck’s apartment, aside from the gentle snoring of his cat on the couch. He felt his eyelids starting to droop again.

 

“You should go back to sleep, Duck,” Indrid said.

 

“Wait--I mean, why did you call me?” Duck asked.

 

“I knew you were awake, and I don’t have anyone else to talk to,” Indrid said simply.

 

“Do you… well I know you sleep, that’s kinda why you’re where you are. Should you be sleeping right now?” Duck pointed out.

 

“Duck, come on. You of all people should know that moths are nocturnal,” Indrid said.

 

“I thought you weren’t into the whole ‘Mothman’ thing,” Duck countered.

 

“Well, it’s safer at night anyway. Good night, Duck,” Indrid said.

 

“‘Night, Indrid.” Duck hung up.

 

### V

The phone on Duck’s desk had barely started to ring, but Duck picked up the phone. He knew who it was.

 

“Duck! I have something I need to talk to you about. In person.”

 

“Woah, slow down, Indrid,” Duck said, “What’s wrong? Do you need anyone else to come?”

 

“No, just you. And the faster you get here the better,” Indrid said, “Oh, I’m back at the campground again, by the way.”

 

“Guess I’ll get going then,” Duck said.

 

“See you soon!” Indrid hung up.

 

Duck sighed and walked out to his truck. He drove away from the ranger station and towards the Eastwood Campground. What was so important that Indrid needed to talk in person, without anyone else? Duck decided it was better to just let Indrid explain. He walked up to the camper and opened the door without knocking. Indrid was standing by the fridge with two glasses of eggnog.

 

“Hi, Duck!” Indrid greeted. He handed one of the glasses to Duck.

 

“Hello,” Duck said, “So, what's the deal? Someone need rescuing in four and a half minutes again? Sounded pretty urgent.”

 

“Um, not quite. Well, it is urgent, a little bit. This is more about… damage control. On the timelines. Making sure the future doesn’t go horribly wrong,” Indrid said.

 

“What d'you need me to do?” Duck asked.

 

“Well, first I wanted to ask you something,” Indrid said.

 

“Go ahead,” Duck said.

 

“This isn't going to make sense at first but… what do you want, Duck? Like in life. Are you happy where you are?” Indrid asked.

 

“Jeez, I, uh, I dunno. I'm pretty good, I guess. I mean, less life-threatening situations would be nice but we all know it doesn't work like that,” Duck frowned, taking a drink of the eggnog in his hands. He didn't know things would get so heavy so fast.  

 

“I see.” Indrid looked pensive before asking, “Is there anything else you… no, what's the word--what are your goals?”

 

“I… I guess to just, y’know, protect the forest, protect my friends, hang out. I would like to finish that model ship I'm building, but uh, I’ve had to put that on the backburner since this all sorta started up,” Duck said.

 

“What about people, Duck? I know you're not the social type, and obviously I can't say anything about that, but… do you feel like someone's missing in your life?” Indrid asked.

 

“To be honest, I think I'm good on people right now,” Duck replied, “Y'know, I got Ned and Aubrey, and Mama and Barclay and everyone at the lodge, and my sister obviously, and Billy, and, uh, and you.”

 

Indrid smiled. “I’m glad you consider us friends.”

 

“Yeah, well, I mean, uh, I was hoping we were,” Duck said, “My phone bill would look much emptier if we weren’t.”

 

“Of course!” Indrid drained the last of his eggnog and set the empty glass on the counter. “Listen, Duck. What I’m about to do will be very confusing but once I do it you have to promise me you won’t freak out.”

 

Duck looked at him, confused. “What are you gonna do? I’ve already seen you in your, uh, Sylf form--”

 

“Duck, we have seven-point-three minutes until Agent Stern shows up here. Once I do this, I need you to intercept him, stall him, whatever you need to do. I need time to pack up and get out of here,” Indrid interrupted.

 

“Are you leaving?” Duck frowned.

 

“Not--not forever. But my previous interactions with law enforcement have been… tempestuous. My presence in your world is more controversial than Barclay’s or any of the other Sylfs. And I really, really would not like to get exploited for my abilities. I can’t imagine the FBI labs have gotten much cozier since the 60s,” Indrid explained.

 

“I get that. Uh, go ahead, then, with whatever you’re gonna do,” Duck shrugged.

 

Indrid looked out the window. He looked back at Duck. He looked conflicted. In an instant, he was right in front of Duck.

 

And then he kissed him.

 

Duck was surprised, to say the least. He didn’t have time to figure out the correct response before Indrid pulled away.

 

“Go! Six and a half minutes,” Indrid said, taking the glass of eggnog from Duck’s hands.

 

“Right,” Duck said. He left the trailer in a daze. What the fuck was Indrid kissing him going to change? Aside from Duck’s ability to breathe, anyway.

 

Getting into his car, Duck started up toward Amnesty Lodge. It was about twenty minutes from the lodge to the campground, so Agent Stern was probably already almost there. Duck pushed the memory of Indrid’s chapped lips against his own to the back of his mind. He had to make sure Indrid would still be there to talk about it later.

 

There was Agent Stern. He was in his unassuming black sedan, driving toward the Eastwood campgrounds. Duck waved at him and gestured for him to pull over. Agent Stern seemed confused, but he did so. Duck pulled around behind him and got out.

 

“Hello, Mr. Newton, what seems to be the problem?” Agent Stern asked.

 

“Well, listen, we got some, uh, heavy snow… down at the Eastwood Campground, do you--I mean, this car isn’t rated for snow, and clearly you don’t have snow tires or chains, so I’m gonna have to ask that you stick to town until we, uh, clear it… out,” Duck lied. It was a fairly smooth lie, probably because it was more of an exaggeration than an outright falsehood.

 

“Are you sure? I checked the weather, and it didn’t seem to be too bad,” Agent Stern said.

 

“Uh, yeah, I mean, um, budget cuts and everything, you know how it is. We can only do so much snow plowing at a, uh, at one time, those things use up a lotta gas y’know ‘cause of how big they are, and since that area’s not in season so much right now, it got--we had to put it off to do the places with more traffic,” Duck said. He was surprised at how cool he was being.

 

“Well, that makes sense, I suppose. Though this is a time-sensitive issue, as I’m sure you know. There have been reports of Mothman sightings in the area, especially near the Eastwood campgrounds,” Agent Stern said, “Would it be possible for you to drive me there?”

 

“Listen, Agent Stern. We’re both federal officers here,” Duck said. He knew his position as a forest ranger meant nothing to the FBI, but he needed to say something. He tried to come up with a convincing tale while Agent Stern was thinking about his statement.

 

“I’m not sure our jobs are equivalent,” Agent Stern said. He was starting to look a little skeptical.

 

“I just mean that ultimately, we answer to the same people. Look, folks out here don’t get a lot of excitement. Small town, in the middle of the forest, minimal TV or phone signal or whatever. Imaginations run wild and all that. The Cryptonomica is getting a lot of tourists into town, too. Kepler’s doing better than it has in a while. Mothman’s big in West Virginia already, so people wanna capitalize on that, so we can, y’know, stay in the spotlight,” Duck explained.

 

“Now, Mr. Newton, I know you’re protective of your town, and your forest, but you know that Mothman has reportedly foreshadowed the death of at least 46 people. And--well, it’s confidential technically, but he’s been spotted before other catastrophes before that. I just want to see if I can make contact, and perhaps ask about why he was present at these disasters,” Agent Stern countered.

 

“I know these woods inside and out. I’ve been in the forest service for, damn, over 20 years now? I’ve combed every inch of the area. If Mothman were here, I would know for sure,” Duck said. He was starting to lose his composure, wringing his hands anxiously.

 

“People lie, Mr. Newton,” Agent Stern said. Duck held perfectly still under his scrutiny. “And obviously I don’t believe most of the stuff Mr. Chicane peddles in his museum. However, we have consistent evidence that Mothman exists, and is currently in this region. I just need to go to the campground to see if there is anything I can find out there.”

 

Duck could tell he was serious this time. He didn’t have a choice. It was a stalling game now.

 

“Sure.” Duck checked his watch. Eight minutes had passed since he had left Indrid’s trailer. Since Indrid had kissed him. Duck was still reeling from that, but it meant it was even more important that Agent Stern didn’t take Indrid in. “Yeah, I guess I could take you back down there.”

 

“Great,” Agent Stern said.

 

He got into the passenger side of Duck’s Forest Service SUV. Duck put the keys in the ignition hesitantly. He needed to waste as much time as he could. He pretended the car wouldn’t start at first.

 

“Is there something wrong with the engine?” Agent Stern asked.

 

“Uh--” Duck started. He figured it was best to keep his mouth shut and turned the car on for real. “There it goes.”

 

Duck undid the parking brake and slowly started down the road. He drove slowly down the road. It would be fine, right? He was being careful in the treacherous conditions. Luckily, Duck must have seemed pretty confident, because Agent Stern didn’t say anything.

 

When they reached the Eastwood Campground, there was nothing there. The trailer was gone, with nothing but tire tracks left behind. Duck breathed a silent sigh of relief.

 

“When I drove by last night there was a trailer here,” Agent Stern said.

 

“Oh yeah, uh… yeah, there was a trailer here yesterday,” Duck said. He didn’t actually know when Indrid had moved back. He shut his mouth resolutely so he couldn’t say anything else.

 

“Do you have the rental paperwork?” Agent Stern asked.

 

“Well, not with me, no,” Duck said. He just had to say as little as possible. He could get through this.

 

“Could you send that my way later? As well as any other contracts from the last, hm, six weeks?” Agent Stern requested.

 

“I’m actually not in charge of those,” Duck said, “So I don’t have clearance to give them out.”

 

“I understand. I’ll talk to your supervisor, then,” Agent Stern said.

 

Duck started panicking; there was no paperwork to give him. Even if his supervisors didn’t believe in Mothman, he would get in trouble for letting someone stay there without paying. As he tried to remain calm, Agent Stern got out of the car and walked over to the tire tracks.

 

“Do you know who was here?” Agent Stern asked.

 

“Nope,” Duck lied. Single-word answers from here on out, he decided.

 

Agent Stern didn’t seem to have any more questions. He went over to the utility hookups and started examining them.

 

Duck sat alone in the car. Now that he was alone, and his head was clearer, he tried to piece together Indrid’s cryptic ask. He had asked about Duck’s goals, and about what he wanted. Who he wanted. He had called it “damage control,” which Duck now knew meant preventing Agent Stern from finding him. He had made Duck promise to leave as soon as Indrid kissed him. He didn’t understand what kind of mind games Indrid was trying to play, or how it would help. On the other hand, though, Duck wasn’t mad about it. He could unpack that at a less stressful time.

 

Agent Stern startled him out of his thought process by opening the car door. He finally seemed to have run out of things to look at.

 

“This investigation was not as fruitful as I thought it would be. Hopefully the rental contracts will provide some insight,” Agent Stern said.

 

“Right,” Duck said, “You ready to head back?”

 

“Yes, thank you,” Agent Stern said.

 

### +I

This time, Duck decided to call Indrid. Well, not exactly. He called the payphones at all the campgrounds in his region of the forest. None of them picked up. It had only been an hour and a half since Duck had gotten back to the ranger station. Indrid was probably still driving. He’s smart. He’ll be fine.

 

Duck didn’t have to wait long before his phone rang. He grabbed the receiver and put it to his ear. Please be okay, please be okay--

 

Indrid’s voice echoed over the line. “Duck! Thanks for doing that for me. I appreciate it, really. I know how hard it is for you to lie. I think I’m going to be going south for a bit. I’m stopped at a gas station just outside Fairmount right now but--hold on--”

 

There was a rough sound of plastic hitting metal and then footsteps getting farther away. Unintelligible voices, and then boots crunching in already-packed snow. Duck frowned. Before he could say anything, the phone was picked up.

 

“Sorry about that. A knife fight was about to break out and I didn’t want to be in the middle of it,” Indrid said.

 

“Sure. So you said you’re going to Fairmount?” Duck replied.

 

“Well, I was planning on hiding out for a few days somewhere in the woods, then coming back. Unless you have another timeline-ruiner?” Indrid said.

 

“I… no, I guess I just have some questions about what we were talking about,” Duck said.

 

“I’ll start coming back now, then. See you soon, Duck.”

 

“Wait--”

 

Click.

 

Fuck. That was barely more information than when he had started. He understood Indrid knew things before they happened, but did he have to be so cryptic all the time? Sometimes a clear answer would be helpful. Or any answer at all, honestly.

 

Feeling useless, Duck decided to go out for a walk. There was no point in sitting in his office being miserable. He pulled on his heavy jacket and stepped out into the trees. It was peaceful, in the forest. There was just regular pine trees now, no future-changing cottonwoods. Patches of snow from the last storm a few days ago spread across the ground. It was possible there was no human within a half-mile of Duck’s ranger station.

 

Duck started to trudge along his regular route. He would head north first, up toward the more popular campsites. Check for litter, fires, whatever debris the Hornets left. Then he turned east, toward some of the farther trails. Those were mostly closed for the ice and snow. He started heading back south toward his station. The Eastwood campground was only a little bit out of his way, it wouldn’t hurt to check.

 

Twenty minutes of stumbling through the snow later, Duck reached the familiar site. It was still empty, as he knew it would be. A few residual scorch marks were visible on the concrete. He heard the sound of an engine getting closer. He walked out toward the road.

 

Somehow, even though Duck knew it wouldn’t be physically possible, Indrid’s new Winnebago was driving into the parking lot. Duck ran up to it. Indrid stopped with plenty of room and turned off the engine. They met at the door.

 

“Indrid--” Duck exclaimed.

 

“I’m the Mothman. I can travel as fast as I want,” Indrid beamed, “And yes, I’m staying, I wasn’t leaving in the first place. And Duck--”

 

“Shit, Indrid, come on. Let me get this out,” Duck said, “First of all, are you okay?”

 

“Yes, I’m fine, Duck,” Indrid said. He had a knowing smile on his face.

 

“Okay. Good. So. I’m guessing you know my question. But I’m gonna ask anyway, because I’m sure you’ve got a whole thing prepared,” Duck said. He cleared his throat. “Why did you kiss me?”

 

“Yeah, I’ve been rehearsing the whole way here. Duck, listen to me. I need you to understand what I’m about to say,” Indrid said.

 

“I’m all ears,” Duck said.

 

“Perfect,” Indrid said. He reached out and placed his hands on Duck’s arms. “Here’s the thing. You see, I’ve been in this world for over a century. Over a hundred years of traveling, hiding, being unable to warn people about the tragedies in their future. And then I come here, to Kepler. And for the first time in fifty years, I was able to help. But really, I didn’t help. You did most of the work. All I did was call you, and without hesitation, you saved so many lives. Do you want to know why I asked for you on the phone, over any of your friends?”

 

“Uh, yeah, I guess I didn’t really understand that,” Duck said, avoiding Indrid’s eyes.

 

Indrid pressed on. “Well, it was partially because of your selflessness and willingness to protect those you care about. But you’re tired of hearing how you’re meant to save things, Duck. To be honest, it was a little selfish of me to call you. I… well, I called you so I could do this.”

 

And Indrid kissed Duck again. This time, Duck was ready. Despite how cold Indrid was, Duck melted into it. Indrid moved his hands to Duck’s shoulders, and Duck wrapped his arms around Indrid’s middle. Indrid crowded closer to him so they were as close as possible. Duck finally pulled away to breathe.

 

“So all the timelines from that point are like this, huh?” Duck asked.

 

“Well, there was a very small chance this would all go horribly wrong. But as I said before, I knew I could count on you. Even though you broke everything, you’re the most consistent person I’ve ever met,” Indrid said.

 

Duck pulled away further, distancing himself. “Look, Indrid, you keep saying all these things about me. But I’m just a guy! I just watch my section of the forest and feed my cat and sometimes I fight monsters but I’m not even good at that. I’m not even the chosen one anymore, I’m just an asshole with a broken sword.”

 

“But that’s just it, Duck. That’s what makes you different. You aren’t willing to accept fate, not because you want something different, but because you care. We’ve talked about how you are so fast to trust, and it’s because you’re trustworthy” Indrid insisted. “In your insistence on staying true to yourself, you literally changed the whole future. Not with a heroic fight or martyr's death, but with your kindness. There are few people in this world, chosen or not, who could do things the way you do. And those people aren’t nearly as caring, or brave, or handsome--”

 

“Okay, I get it,” Duck smiled sheepishly.

 

“I know it’s hard to have such high expectations put on you. I know what it’s like to be scared of the possibilities. But you… you push through anyway,” Indrid said, “You are an inherently likeable person, Duck. Whether you like it or not.”

 

“You can just kiss me again,” Duck said.

 

“Learning some clairvoyance yourself, huh?” Indrid grinned. He moved forward and kissed Duck again. Duck smiled against Indrid’s lips.


End file.
